Initiatives

Overview

In the 1990s, Congress enacted major changes to our banking policies. These changes untethered banks from their communities, allowed federally insured banks to engage in speculative trading, and fueled a massive wave of mergers.

Overview

Access to the Internet is an essential infrastructure for any community that cares about economic development, quality of life, and educational opportunities. Unfortunately, most communities are presently dependent on a few unaccountable absentee corporations that act as gatekeepers to...

Overview

Wind and sun are available everywhere, so renewable energy can be economically harnessed at small scales across the country. This nature of renewable energy, and the exponential increase of renewable energy generation, promises to decentralize the nation’s grid system. ...

Overview

At the founding of the American Republic the word “private” had pejorative connotations. Derived from the Latin word “privare”, private meant to divide or tear apart. A privateer was a pirate. The word “public” was an honorable adjective, often...

Overview

ILSR's Waste to Wealth program helps communities across the country create policies and practices that address citizens' environmental concerns and economic needs. We help citizens fight the incinerators and landfills that pollute their air and water, and drive property...

Featured Articles

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/authors-call-for-investigation-of-amazon-monopoly/

Last summer, when the writer Douglas Preston began approaching other authors to ask them to sign a letter calling on Amazon to cease impeding customers’ access to certain books in a bid to force the publisher Hachette to accept new terms, he was troubled by the number who said no.

It wasn’t that they disagreed with the letter. They were afraid. “If it had been one or two who had said, I don’t want to tangle with Amazon, that would have been one thing. But it was lots of authors,” explains Preston, who writes thrillers. In the end, some 900 authors did add their names to the letter, which Preston published as a full-page ad in the New York Times, but many more declined. Among them are “authors you know and love,” says Preston, as well as a wide range of less well-known novelists and nonfiction writers, all scared of Amazon’s singular capacity to ruin their livelihoods.

What does it say about the state of free speech if people who regularly take up the pen to communicate their ideas are cowed into silence by a powerful gatekeeper? That’s a question that Preston’s coalition, Authors United — with backing from the American Booksellers Association, Authors Guild, and Association of Authors Representatives — is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate. In a 24-page letter to William Baer, the head of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, Authors United contends that Amazon is abusing its market power in ways that undermine competition and compromise liberty, free speech, and democracy.

Preston knows that many people will have a hard time seeing an aggressive monopolist in the same friendly company that offers them discounts and fast shipping. Until last year, he was of that mind too. “I loved Amazon,” Preston explains. “I was in touch with some of their top executives. I gave them exclusives. I thought Amazon was this wonderful force for good in the publishing world.”

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-handbook-on-next-generation-connectivity-from-gig-u-2/

Gig.U, a collaboration of more than 30 universities across the country has just released The Next Generation Network Connectivity Handbook: A guide for Community Leaders Seeking Affordable, Abundant Bandwidth. The handbook, published in association with the Benton Foundation, is available as a PDF online. One of the authors, Blair Levin, has been a guest several… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/greece-the-troika-and-maggie-thatcher/

In its policies toward Greece, the “Troika” — a new shorthand for the combined will of the European Commission, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund — has actively and enthusiastically embraced Maggie Thatcher’s social and political philosophy, memorably captured in her chilling assertion, “There is no such thing as society.” That philosophy has found… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/brenda-platt-state-of-composting-presentation-maryland-2015/

ILSR co-director, Brenda Platt, gave a presentation at the Maryland Recycling Network’s 2015 Annual Conference. Her talk, State of Composting in the US: What, Why, Where & How, provided and update and overview of ILSR’s report that documents what is currently happening in organics management across the U.S. View or download Brenda’s presentation to the… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-glass-steagall-should-be-a-key-issue-during-the-2016-campaign/

In a 2016 campaign season already dominated by candidates’ pursuit of Wall Street donations, how to regulate the banking sector remains one of the most pressing issues facing the country. The Glass-Steagall Act is becoming, and should remain, a key part of the debate. Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/new-handbook-on-next-generation-connectivity-from-gig-u-2/

Gig.U, a collaboration of more than 30 universities across the country has just released The Next Generation Network Connectivity Handbook: A guide for Community Leaders Seeking Affordable, Abundant Bandwidth. The handbook, published in association with the Benton Foundation, is available as a PDF online. One of the authors, Blair Levin, has been a guest several… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/a-rising-wind-better-tech-means-greater-state-wind-potential/

For states looking to reduce their reliance on dirty, imported energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory brings good news on the wind. In a May 2015 report, significantly more wind power potential was found in nearly every state thanks to advancing turbine technology. In 2015, 40 states could produce 50% or more of their annual electricity… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/brenda-platt-state-of-composting-presentation-maryland-2015/

ILSR co-director, Brenda Platt, gave a presentation at the Maryland Recycling Network’s 2015 Annual Conference. Her talk, State of Composting in the US: What, Why, Where & How, provided and update and overview of ILSR’s report that documents what is currently happening in organics management across the U.S. View or download Brenda’s presentation to the… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/is-socialism-whats-stopping-a-fair-value-for-solar/

Complete nonsense. The most socialistic thing I’ve ever heard. That’s just two quotes from a value of solar conversation between ILSR’s John Farrell and Karl Rábago of the Pace Energy and Climate Center that took place online on July 8, 2015. More and more people are installing solar, significantly reducing their purchase of electricity from… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/utility-solar-may-cost-less-but-its-also-worth-less/

A new report released this week asserts that utility-scale solar is much more economical than small-scale solar. The clear implication is that we should let incumbent utilities build or buy solar from large-scale arrays instead of allowing customers to generate their own power. There are several reasons to seriously question the mistaken assertion that big… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solar-for-all-an-article-of-faith-episode-26-of-local-energy-rules/

Minnesota’s community solar garden program may be the envy of the nation — once the utility’s stall tactics have been stopped — but it needs a little help to fulfill the vision of bringing solar to all. That’s where Julia Nerbonne, executive director of Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, comes in. In June 2015, John… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/gig-city-sandy-home-of-the-60-gig-2/

Located at the foot of Mount Hood in Oregon, Sandy’s municipally-owned full fiber network offers gigabit Internet service for under $60 to every resident in the city. Sandy is one of the few municipal FTTH networks that has been built without having a municipal electric department. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance released this… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/unanswered-questions-about-the-public-rooftop-revolution/

At the beginning of June 2015, ILSR released its Public Rooftop Revolution report, which described how cities across the nation put the shine on municipal rooftops with more than 5,000 MW of solar. That 5,000 MW is as much as one-quarter of all solar installed in the U.S. to date — and many cities could… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solar-potential-on-public-buildings-in-kansas-city/

How much solar is installed on municipal buildings? How much could be installed? As we discovered in writing ILSR’s Public Rooftop Revolution report—the latest in the Rooftop Revolution series—nobody had the answer, for almost every city we contacted. But in the course of the research, three cities answered our call to analyze their rooftop solar potential… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solar-potential-on-public-buildings-in-minneapolis/

How much solar is installed on municipal buildings? How much could be installed? As we discovered in writing ILSR’s Public Rooftop Revolution report—the latest in the Rooftop Revolution series—nobody had the answer, for almost every city we contacted. But in the course of the research, three cities answered our call to analyze their rooftop solar potential… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/dear-hawaii-read-your-mail-before-your-utility-sells-out/

If your electricity—generated from imported oil—is the most expensive in the country and your solar resource is terrific, you’d expect your electric company to be making great strides toward renewable energy. On Hawai’i, the progress toward clean energy is in limbo, because island’s largest electric utility—largely owned by islanders—is likely to be acquired by mainland… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/distributed-solar-surges-in-early-2015/

Distributed solar was 13% of all new power plant capacity in 2014, and 2015 is starting off even bigger. Distributed residential and commercial solar installations surged 45% over the same period last year and accounted for 35% of all new power plant capacity in the first quarter of 2015. The following chart shows the quarterly… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/public-rooftop-revolution-in-pictures/

There are a lot of stories on residential rooftop solar but few if any on what cities are doing to make themselves energy self-reliant by using their own buildings and lands to generate power. In Public Rooftop Revolution, ILSR estimates that mid-sized cities could install as much as 5,000 megawatts of solar—as much as one-quarter… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/kansas-citys-royal-effort-to-solarize-city-rooftops/

Kansas City, MO, has neither the abundant sunshine nor high cost of electricity that have driven solar installations in other cities. Despite this, the city has close to 1.5 MW of solar in 59 separate installations on municipal properties. Thanks to utility rebates, two department leaders, and a unique opportunity that allowed it to access… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/duking-it-out-over-municipal-solar-in-raleigh/

There aren’t many solar success stories from the Southeast, making Raleigh, NC, stand out in a region with low-cost electricity and modest sunshine. With just over 2 megawatts of solar on public property––providing close to 7% of municipal building peak demand––Raleigh’s solar success comes despite state rules preventing city from buying electricity from any non-utility… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/lancaster-the-leading-solar-city-episode-23-of-local-energy-rules/

Jason Caudle, city manager with the City of Lancaster, talked with John Farrell in April 2015 about his city’s solar boom. With more than 118 MW of solar, both private and public, operating within city limits, Lancaster is well on its way to producing or procuring 530 MW of clean energy by 2020. Hitting that… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/public-rooftop-revolution/

There are a lot of stories on residential rooftop solar but few if any on what cities are doing to make themselves energy self-reliant by using their own buildings and lands to generate power. In Public Rooftop Revolution, ILSR estimates that mid-sized cities could install as much as 5,000 megawatts of solar—as much as one-quarter… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/somebody-wants-something-getting-the-most-from-a-proposed-takeover-of-hawaiian-electric-company/

If your electricity—generated from imported oil—is the most expensive in the country and your solar resource is terrific, you’d expect your electric company to be making great strides toward renewable energy. On Hawai’i, the progress toward clean energy is in limbo, because island’s largest electric utility—largely owned by islanders—is likely to be acquired by mainland… Continue reading

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/watch-stacy-mitchell-testifies-on-federal-policy-to-support-strong-local-economies/

In this video, ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell testifies at a hearing held by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, about how federal contracting and other forms of financial support for business should be overhauled to reflect American values and build the kind of economy we need. Continue reading